The sod was turned on the 56 kilometre Galway-to-Ballinasloe road today with the opening date expected in early 2010.
Junior Minister Noel Treacy performed the sod turning on the dual-carriageway project, which also includes a seven-kilometre link road to the Loughrea bypass and 32 kilometres of side roads.
The road scheme is the second largest in the Governement's Transport 21 programme. "It will significantly benefit the western region and it will improve road transport connections, between the west and the east of the country," Mr Treacy said today
The project will extend from Doughiska, east of Galway city to the existing N6 east of Ballinasloe. It will run from the outskirts of Galway city to Athenry, where it crosses the Galway to Dublin rail line, the Graigabbey River and the Athenry to Limerick rail line.
It then continues southeast to the Carrowkeel junction, Kiltulla, continuing north of Aughrim village and on to Tulrush, east of Ballinasloe, where a link road connects the existing N6 at Beagh in Co Roscommon.